Land Rover North America is celebrating its more than 1 million Facebook fans with a social video that pays homage to their customers.

In the 76-second video, the automaker showcases its vehicles in a variety of settings and thanks fans for making the brand a part of their lives. Other automakers have created similar social videos to celebrate social media milestones, which can help show fans that the brand cares.

"The video is our way of saying thank-you to our fans for choosing to engage with Land Rover," said Kim Kyaw, digital marketing and social media manager at Land Rover North America, Mahwah, NJ.

"We asked our fans to submit photos of their favorite Land Rover and memories with their vehicle," she said. "Since our fans are an integral part of Land Rover's success, we wanted to ensure they were acknowledged and part of the story.

"Social media plays an important part of our relationship with consumers and has been instrumental in communications for some of our latest product launches such as the 2013 Range Rover and the new Range Rover Sport."

British-based Jaguar Land Rover, part of India's Tata Motors family, owns car brands such as Land Rover, Range Rover and Jaguar.

Reaching 1 million

The Land Rover USA Facebook page announced that it reached 1 million fans May 15 by posting the video on its Facebook page.

Facebook post

The short video was created in a paper-animation style that includes a medley of images of Land Rover vehicles and images from fans.

The video starts out with a hand holding up a card that reads, “Over the last six decades Land Rover has gained a following home and abroad.”

Then, the hands cut out a garage from a photograph and places it on a piece of paper along with other items to create a background.

The hand holds up another card that says, “You’ve shown us where you come from.” The card is placed on the table and then the hand opens up the paper garage as a Land Rover drives out.

Video still

The vehicle drives through the suburbs, the city and the country as it morphs from model to model.

Next, the video shows various pieces of paper that give a short sentence of how Land Rover’s fans have involved the brand in their lives. In between the shots of the paper, there are clips that incorporate fan images into the Land Rover vehicles.

The vehicle continues driving and a final card reads, “Over a million fans later, we just want to say …” as the vehicle reaches its destination and the stars in the sky spell out, “Thank you.”

1 million Facebook fans

Celebrating a milestone

Other luxury automakers have celebrated their Facebook fans.

For instance, German automaker Porsche honored its 5 million fans by letting them collaborate to design a 911 Carrera 4S vehicle.

Porsche announced that it hit the 5-million-fan milestone Jan. 31 by updating its cover image to say, “Thank you for 5 million likes.” To celebrate, the automaker launched an interactive campaign on a Facebook application where fans were able to vote on the characteristics of a 911 Carrera 4S (see story).

Also, German automaker Mercedes-Benz USA thanked its 9 million fans by releasing a video that featured its CLS-class vehicle and light painting special effects.

The video titled “Light-Painting in Real-Time” shows off the automaker’s CLS-class in a live-action painting with light video by Finnish director Anssi Määttä. The video was promoted on the mb! by Mercedes-Benz’s Web site and the brand’s Facebook page (see story).

Luxury automakers could increase brand loyalty and gain more enthusiasts by engaging with and thanking their fans on social media.

"Our Facebook fans comprise owners, enthusiasts and people who aspire to own a Land Rover one day," Ms. Kyaw said. "On a daily basis, we strive to engage with our fans in a meaningful and authentic way.

"Land Rover is known for having some of the most loyal and engaging fans, so we wanted to take a moment to thank our fans for their continued enthusiasm and support," she said.